The marketing funnel is an interesting concept: it’s a slippery slope of interactions that build a relationship with your intended customer. They should move through the marketing funnel, read this piece of content, then that one, then get another piece pop up on a different channel. Your readers should come to trust your brand, your values, and your core principles. But then what happens? They go into the sales funnel! From one funnel into another.

But if they didn’t go through the marketing funnel, the sales process would be a lot harder and take a lot longer because you’d have to start from scratch introducing the brand, laying out your services, and building that sense of trust in your expertise.

That’s why the marketing funnel is very important, it gets a lot of the initial, introductory conversation out of the way in a natural, helpful way. But you have to do it carefully and really home in on what the top of the funnel means and how you get your target customers there in the first place.

Here’s how I approach top of funnel marketing, how I attract people to your content, and start building that relationship with your customers before they even know what you do, or look at a product page, or speak to your sales team.

Understanding top of funnel content marketing

Imagine standing in a crowded marketplace and you have only a few seconds to catch the eye of a passerby. That’s what top-of-funnel content does: it makes a memorable first impression and entices individuals to take the next step.

Top of funnel content works by leveraging the pain points felt at the top of the funnel and crafting content to meet those challenges. Brand, Tone of Voice, authority and valuable insights are used to address those concerns and build trust.

For context, here’s an overview of how the sales funnel works and the pain points felt at each stage:

1. Awareness: Your customer knows they have a problem or a need but may not know the underlying causes or really be looking to solve their problem at this stage. They’re gathering information generally to support their efforts.
2. Interest: Your customer now knows what the problem is and is interested in looking at different ways to solve it. They’re gathering broad-ranging information relating to their problem.
3. Consideration: Your customer is considering all the different ways they could solve their problem. Do they need a consultant? Would a product or piece of software solve it? Is training the answer?
4. Preference: Your customer has pinpointed the best options and is comparing them to decide which would work best for the specifics of their company. They’re thinking about price, ease of implementation, timeframes, etc.
5. Purchase: They’ve made a buying decision and have reached out for more information. From here, they enter the top of the sales funnel.

As you can see, the Awareness and Interest (top of the funnel) stages are the broadest reaching and undefined challenges in your buyer’s journey, and therefore need a broad range of content tactics to draw them in.

Examples of top of funnel content marketing that starts the conversation

In my experience, the following content pieces provide the best method of addressing those vague initial pain points at Awareness and Interest stage:

1. Blogs: Blogs that provide valuable information or address common pain points within your audience’s industry will start to build that trust in your brand. It shouldn’t promote a specific product or service at this stage but demonstrate insight and empathy.
2. Educational videos: Short, informative videos that introduce a topic, demonstrate a concept, or provide insights are easy to consume on the fly. The quality and style of your video will do a lot to create an impression of your brand!
3. eBooks and whitepapers: Comprehensive guides or research reports that dive deep into industry-related topics help readers understand the context of their problems and reflect the depth of your industry insight and market share.
4. Webinars and workshops: Online seminars or interactive sessions that impart knowledge or skills can be a great way for customers to come to rely on your services without reaching a purchasing decision formally.
5. Podcasts: Audio content that features discussions, interviews, or insights into industry trends is a versatile way for your audience to consume valuable information while they work on their other priorities.
6. Infographics: People love infographics. They present a low-commitment way to get information in a fun way.
7. SEO: SEO increases the visibility of your content. Through effective keyword research and optimisation, it ensures your top of funnel content is found and ranks higher in search results. As most people will Google their problem, it is important that SEO features in all of the above content tactics!

I use these different and diverse content types to educate, inform, and entertain without overtly promoting products or services. Instead, they nurture the audience’s interest and establish your brand as a valuable source of information.

How I choose the right top of funnel content to suit the marketing strategy

Selecting the right top of funnel content when crafting a content strategy is crucial for success. It needs to fit into the broader marketing strategy, which in turn needs to align with the business strategy!

Below are my considerations when scoping out the right top of funnel content to suit a company’s needs:

1. Understand your audience: I begin by getting to know your target audience, what keeps them up at night, what’s impacting their role and their industry, and where they normally turn to for information.
2. Think about your brand values: Your top of funnel content should reflect your brand’s identity and values, so if your brand is known for innovation, I choose content formats that showcase your innovative spirit.
3. Have a look at what your competitors are putting out there: I look at what top of funnel content your competitors are producing to identify gaps where I could differentiate or add more value.
4. Consider the rest of the sales funnel: When considering any one top of funnel content type, I find it useful to plan out the rest of the journey through the sales funnel from there. What content would enhance this one? What would the natural progression of the conversation be and how will I get our reader there?
5. Think about strategic goals: When I’m choosing top of funnel content tactics, it’s important to remember what I’m trying to achieve with my content strategy and work out what success looks like for your top of funnel content. Is it increased website traffic, higher social media engagement, or more email sign-ups? This helps keep top of funnel content production on the straight and narrow.

Best practice measures I use for successful top of funnel content marketing

When crafting impactful, insightful and genuinely useful content, I stick to the following best practice measures:

1. Make education the priority: Top of funnel content is all about providing value to your audience, that’s why I focus on educating, informing, and engaging without immediately pushing for a sale.
2. Use compelling headlines, thumbnails and meta information: I make sure the content is visually appealing with catchy headlines and eye-catching thumbnails or images. First impressions matter.
3. Include a clear Call to Action (CTA): While the primary aim isn’t immediate conversion, I still use a CTA that encourages further interaction, such as signing up for a newsletter or reading more content.
4. Make sure it’s mobile-friendly: During the upload stage, I check that content is responsive and mobile-friendly.
5. Keep it consistent: When I create content, I ensure that it’s clear it was produced by the same brand as any other piece of content they may have received from you. This helps with brand recognition and trust-building.
6. Analyse and optimise regularly: Publication isn’t the end of the road, I regularly review the performance of your top of funnel content and refine it where necessary.

We started at the top, so where do we go from here?

When I create top-of-funnel content, I’m creating a gateway to your brand’s universe. It’s the handshake, the introduction, and the initial spark of interest in your company, but the most important thing is to leave them wanting more.

In the end, successful top of funnel content marketing is all about leaving a lasting impression and paving the way for deeper, more meaningful connections with your audience, and making those sales conversations smoother down the line.

If you’re interested in working together, shoot me an email: gracewrites892@gmail.com